Wanyan Aguda (1068–1123), born in present-day Harbin, became the head of the Wanyan tribe in 1113. The Wanyan was the most dominant of the Jurchen tribes. All the Jurchens were subjects of the Khitans.

In 1114, Aguda united the Jurchens and rebelled again the Khitans. The following year, he declared himself the emperor and founded the Great Jin Dynasty.

The Jurchens lived in the northeast of China, an area later became known as Manchuria (满洲). The Great Ming Dynasty classified them into three groups:

§  The Jianzhou (建州) Jurchens

§  The Haixi (海西) Jurchens

§  The Yeren (野人) Jurchens

Centuries later, a commander of the Jianzhou Jurchens by the name of Nurhaci (努尔哈赤, 1559–1626), unified most of the Jurchen tribes and was the father of the founder of the Great Qing Dynasty (大清, 1636–1912).